Encouragement for Troubled Times

KEY VERSE: “I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death.” —Revelation 1:18

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Revelation 1:4, 5, 8-18

AMONG the many common objects used in the Bible as illustrations of important features of truth is the “key.” A key gives access to that which is locked, and without the key the contents are unavailable. After the Master had demonstrated his faithfulness even unto death, as a reward for his obedience he was able to say, “All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) Included in this authority was the privilege of carrying out all the wonderful features of the great divine plan for human salvation. And as a part of this authority Jesus was appointed many keys, including the ones of our text, those of “death and of hades.”

How thankful we are to know that Jesus has these keys—the right and power, as soon as Satan is bound and his kingdom overthrown and Christ’s kingdom set up—to gradually raise up to perfect life, the billions of mankind now under the sentence of death, most of whom have gone down into the grave.

This condition is described by the Prophet Isaiah as a prison house (Isa. 61:1) and Jesus, quoting from this prophecy, announced that he was the one sent to “proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”—Luke 4:18

A thought somewhat akin to this is expressed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:8. Quoting from the marginal translation this text reads concerning Christ: “When he ascended up on high he led a multitude of captives.” This is a quotation from Psalm 68:18, which, according to Rotherham, states that Jesus led “in procession a body of captives.” While the reference in these texts is particularly to Jesus’ exaltation, this is vitally associated with his resurrection, for it was when he was raised from the sleep of death that he was highly exalted to the divine nature, far above every name that is named.—Eph. 1:18-23

The first of these captives in death whom Jesus leads forth are his own body members. Jesus, together with these, is referred to by Paul in the same text, part of which has already been quoted, as “Christ the firstfruits.” That Jesus’ followers are included in the firstfruits is confirmed by James, who wrote, “Of his own will begat he us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” (James 1:18) Concerning those who faithfully follow the Lamb, we read, “These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 14:4) The firstfruits class is very small in number compared with the multitudes which will be led forth from their captivity in death.—Rev. 7:4; 14:1,3,4

The Old Testament refers to the dead as being “prisoners,” or captives, in death, and their awakening as a release from captivity. (Isa. 49:9) After mentioning the death state of the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the rulers, and the wicked in death, Job adds, “There the prisoners rest together.”—Job 3:18

In Ezekiel 16:53 the resurrection is likened to the release of captives, or prisoners: “When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives [Israelites] in the midst of them.”

In Jeremiah 48:47 the Lord says, “I will bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days.” Of the Ammonites we read, “I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 49:6) And the Elamites will also be released from their captivity. We read, “It shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 49:39) These are but some of the vast multitudes who are to be led forth from their captivity in death.

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